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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Nelson expected to leave Warriors

Paul Casey acknowledges the crowd Thursday after completing his round of 4-under-par 66 at the Tour Championship.  (Associated Press)

NBA: Don Nelson is out as Golden State Warriors coach and will be replaced by assistant coach Keith Smart, incoming co-owner Joseph Lacob said Thursday.

Nelson was entering the final season of his contract, which was slated to pay him $6 million. Nelson, who met with Lacob, will get the entire $6 million he is due, according to a team source.

The Warriors now are working to complete the terms of Nelson’s exit. One source said Nelson’s apparent firing could turn out to be a change in job titles, as he could end up being a consultant. The announcement is scheduled to be made by general manager Larry Riley at the team’s media day Monday.

The 70-year-old Nelson has a record 1,335 victories in 31 seasons coaching Milwaukee, Golden State, New York and Dallas, but the former Boston Celtics forward has never led a team to a championship.

He passed Lenny Wilkens’ NBA record of 1,332 wins on April 7, near the close of the fourth season in his second stint with the Warriors. Golden State finished 26-56 last season.

Stern advises Arenas to keep quiet: Interested in hearing Gilbert Arenas describe the lessons he learned from serving time in a halfway house? Don’t hold your breath.

NBA commissioner David Stern has advised Arenas and the Washington Wizards not to talk about the former All-Star’s felony gun conviction, and the Wizards say that’s fine with them.

“The commissioner spoke to Gilbert,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said. “His message was: ‘You’ve paid your price, you’re back in good standing, and don’t feel obligated to talk about the past.’ ”

Arenas has not spoken publicly since he was sentenced in March to one month in a halfway house and two years of probation after pleading guilty to felony gun possession. Arenas brought four guns to the Wizards locker room in December after getting into an argument with a teammate over a card game.

Seahawks introduce new president

NFL: Peter McLoughlin’s new role as president of the Seattle Seahawks is strictly focused on the business side of the operation.

Football is clearly in the hands of Pete Carroll and John Schneider.

McLoughlin was introduced as the new president of the Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC and First and Goal Inc. on Thursday. He comes to the Seahawks after four years as CEO of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and replaces Tod Leiweke, who announced at the end of July he was leaving as the head of Paul Allen’s Vulcan Sports and Entertainment to become CEO and minority owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

When Carroll and Schneider were brought on earlier this year, there were questions about the hierarchy of authority and whether the football duo reported to Leiweke, who served as the bridge between the football operations and Allen, the Seahawks’ owner.

With McLoughlin coming aboard, it’s clear that all football-related decisions are in the hands of Carroll and Schneider and go directly to Allen.

Delhomme may miss Ravens game: Jake Delhomme still can’t trade his walking boot for cleats.

Cleveland’s starting quarterback, who injured his right ankle in his Week 1 debut with the Browns, has not been cleared to practice and it appears he will be sidelined for this Sunday’s game in Baltimore and possibly next week as well.

PGA: Paul Casey won’t be going to the Ryder Cup. He wouldn’t mind a $10 million consolation.

Casey was the only player among the top five in the FedEx Cup standings to break par, running off three straight birdies around the turn at East Lake for a 4-under-par 66 and a share of the lead with Geoff Ogilvy and Luke Donald in the Tour Championship at Atlanta.

It was the seventh time Casey has shot in the 60s in the nine rounds since European captain Colin Montgomerie left him off the Ryder Cup team.

At stake in this playoff finale is a $10 million bonus to the FedEx Cup champion. The top five in the standings – Casey got to No. 5 with his runner-up finish two weeks ago at Cog Hill – can claim golf’s biggest payoff by winning, no matter what anyone else does.

Baseball: Stan Kasten is leaving the Washington Nationals after 41/2 years as team president, announcing that he will resign at the end of the season. Kasten did not explain in detail why he decided to depart.

The Nationals are headed toward a third consecutive last-place finish in the N.L. East, and their attendance is 14th in the 16-team league.

Indian workers rush as Games approach

Games: Workers sprayed for mosquitoes, mopped up the just-opened athletes’ village and planted flower beds as India rushed to complete long overdue work less than two weeks before the Commonwealth Games are to begin.

Several teams have delayed their arrival in New Delhi because of hygiene and security concerns, and five more athletes withdrew from the competition.

The games, which start Oct. 3 with about 7,000 athletes from 71 countries and territories, were meant to showcase India’s emergence as a regional powerhouse. But long delays in getting facilities ready and a list of scandals have turned them into an embarrassment.

Rock N Roll Heaven shines at Jug

Harness racing: Rock N Roll Heaven won the $604,100 Little Brown Jug – the second leg of the pacing Triple Crown – at Delaware (Ohio) County Fairgrounds, matching the world record for 3-year-old pacers on a half-mile track by finishing in 1:49 2-5 in both his heat race and the final.